Pileated woodpecker

In this seemingly interminable line of generally unpleasant days, this one began chilly and rainy. But a sudden call from upstairs made the sun emerge... well, metaphorically. Pam called down to tell me that there was a Pileated Woodpecker close at hand, and, praise be, I just happened to have the Sigma 100-400mm telephoto on the camera. Not only was there one of the amazing birds hacking at the oaks, there were two of them, sometimes close together. Unfortunately, with the precipitation and rather dark conditions, it was hard to get decent shots. Then, there was the matter of trying to focus through the glass. But I did manage to open a window, and it wasn't raining hard enough to damage the equipment... or the house... so I got my share of keeper images before the Pileateds left our woods for other dendrological pastures. This was a nice end to a pretty miserable month.